FORKS — Plans by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to purchase a 21-acre plot for elk grazing has some Forks residents hot under the collar.

On Wednesday, about 30 of them gathered next to the property, located approximately five miles south of Forks, to vent their opposition to the move.

“People in this valley are tired of being pushed around,” said David Vahrenwald, a Forks resident who is opposing the purchase.

“This is prime real estate we’re talking about.

“How can they take this land away as a [potential] tax-generating piece of land?”

On Wednesday, a Fish and Wildlife official confirmed that the department is interested in purchasing the land, which is half forest and half meadow land.

“The property sits next to a 40-acre piece of land next to the Bogachiel River that Fish and Wildlife already owns,” said Terri Legg, westside lands supervisor for the department.

“Elk herds regularly come across the river to pasture, especially during winter.”